BULAWAYO – ZANU-PF’s Bulawayo Province has declared its backing for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power well past 2028, a move critics say signals the ruling party’s determination to tighten its grip on Zimbabwe’s political future.
Provincial chairperson Jabulani Sibanda announced the resolution on Thursday during a Provincial Central Committee meeting convened to prepare for the party’s 22nd National People’s Conference in Mutare. All five District Coordinating Committees reportedly named Mnangagwa’s continued rule as their top priority.
“Your number one resolution is the same: that by 2030 the party, the Government and all its institutions must recognise that the President must still be serving as the President of our country,” Sibanda told cheering party members.
The statement drew immediate concern from opposition figures, who argue that any push to extend Mnangagwa’s tenure undermines the constitutional two-term limit and erodes democratic accountability.
Civic groups in Bulawayo pointed to ongoing economic hardship, contested elections and a shrinking civic space as reasons to strengthen—not weaken—constitutional safeguards. “This is less about grassroots consensus and more about elite consolidation of power,” said one activist, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals.
While ZANU-PF frames the call for Mnangagwa’s prolonged rule as a show of unity and “revolutionary continuity,” analysts warn it sets the stage for another bruising political battle over succession and constitutional reform ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
